Phoenix - Culture and People

I truly maximized my cultural experience in Phoenix. In one month, I attended 7 theater/symphony/dance performances, a festival, a concert, several restaurants, including Different Pointe of View, a botanical garden, did a historical tour of the Orpheum Theater and signed up for yoga classes. Being near civilization has its pros.

The first weekend in Phoenix opened up with a Greek festival that I was supposed to attend with a Meetup group. I did meet the group but decided to do a quick "overview" of the festival and head home. There was some interesting food there but it was so hot I could not imagine drinking or eating much. On the way home, I stopped by a Greek Orthodox church that reminded me of the time when I would have the desire to come to pray. Sadly, not anymore. I did buy a candle as a respect to my traditions and lit it before exiting. 

I tried Spanakopita pastry - it was delicious but a bit greasy

I attended a few free performances during my stay in Phoenix. Performance Pop-Ups organized by Herberger's Theater were truly a treat. Located in the Pavilion (an outdoor stage outside Herberger's Theater), the performances were different every time. The first one I saw there was organized by the Convergence Ballet Company. Dancers performed both classical and contemporary pieces in 100F heat. I genuinely admired them.

Another performance was dedicated to Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) that was very odd and interesting at the same time with both chanting, singing and dancing intertwined together.

I also went to Herberger's Theater twice to see a dance performance the Match Girl by Scorpius Dance Theater as well as The Lady with All the Answers, a play based on columnist Ann Landers. Both took place on a smaller stage with just a few dozen people in the audience. Both were wonderful!

I could not miss going to symphony, and when I saw a combination of Harry Potter and symphony, I could not miss it! The orchestra accompanied the movie making it feel like you are part of the movie. Sadly, the venue was way too warm, and Harry Potter too sleep-inducing as I used to watch it to fall asleep. After the first part of the movie, I decided to retire to my car and head home missing the post-intermission part. Can I say that I hate intermission in general??? Why would someone want to interrupt something that is so entertaining?!

I had a chance to do a historical tour of the Orpheum Theater. The free 90-minute guided tour gave an overview of how the theater came about as well as offered a chance to walk around both backstage and on the stage. It was a wonderful experience that made me appreciate the concert by Ruben and Clay that I attended the following week there. 

The "sky" above the audience - lighting changes to represent different times of the day

First floor

Some of the artists who performed here

This is where the performers do their make up

Round room with insane sound - you stand in the center and say something just to hear the voice bouncing off the walls emphasizing the sound

The view from the stage to the audience

The ceiling in one of the rooms

First floor from a different view - the doors lead to the main floor

VIP "Green room"

I have not heard of Clay and Ruben before, I must admit, and only bought the tickets because I didn't think I would have time to tour the Orpheum theater before. The concert turned out to be terrific full of positive energy and great singing.

As for the restaurants, I had a wonderful opportunity to visit Different Pointe of View, a restaurant on top of the mountain with the most incredible night views that I have ever seen. The service was fantastic, it's been a long time since I have experienced formal service like that... The food was okay, but really who cared at that point??!

Another terrific restaurant that I didn't even expect to be that great was Pa'La Wood Fired Cooking with tapa plates. I booked a table mostly because of live Jazz, but got so much more!

Finally, Ocotillo was another great find. The outdoor area was perfect on another hot day. Every dish was terrific.

I was really impressed by what Phoenix had to offer from a cultural perspective. Although I only attended one meetup where I actually got to socialize, I could see myself living here if not for the heat.